Good showing at historic vaccination clinic

MOANALUA (HawaiiNewsNow) - An Oahu school became the first in the state Friday to hold an H1N1 Flu Vaccination Clinic. About 40 percent of the students and about half of the school's teachers got vaccinated. The State's epidemiologist says that's right on par. At Moanalua Middle School, students are taught important traits like kindness and character. They're also taught about health. Friday's focus was a crash course on the H1N1 Virus.

"You have to stay healthy when you're in middle school, 'cuz you have to stay in school," Middle school student Alicia Bell-Reid said.

Others hoped to get the shot.

"I feel pretty happy, so I wont get sick hopefully from the swine flu," Middle school student Nicholas Manago said.

Moanalua Middle School is the first of around 300 schools statewide taking part in the school-based H1N1 Vaccination Clinics.

"This program is all about making it more accessible and easy for the parents to be able to get their kids protected," State epidemiologist Sarah Park said.

Less than half of students had their parent's approval to receive the vaccine Friday. Department of Health officials say that's the turnout they expected. In fact, it's slightly higher when compared to normal flu vaccinations.

"We realize some schools, the parents will have an increase demand for the vaccine for their children, at other schools they may be more reluctant," Park said.

As of Thursday, the Department of Health says it has just over 180,000 doses of the H1N1 Vaccine left. About 80,000 have been banked for school clinics over the next few months.

"I think it's pretty cool to be the first school because nobody else has gotten it, so we can tell other people how it went," Bell-Reid said.

And that they did.

"After I sat down, I thought it was going to hurt a lot, but when I got the shot, it actually doesn't hurt at all, I didn't feel anything," Bell-Reid said.

"It felt weird after, I had a weird taste in my tongue," Manago said. "I took the nasal spray one, I never get the shot."